V7Goose

You do not have a lemon, you just have a very stupid dealer. All you need to do is spend a bit of time here talking with us. BTW- there is no oil pressure light, it is an oil LEVEL light. But it should still work. And those carb overflow/vent lines were NOT routed wrong. Your problem was the carbs needed to be cleaned and fixed. The gas does not hurt the ABS plastic, but I have seen it wrinkle the paint occasionally (not sure why, but I suspect it is a problem with the paint). In those few cases, the cowling has always been replaced under warranty. Cracks in the cowling or broken middle mounting tab are not all that uncommon, but these are ALWAYS caused by improperly aligned mounting tabs so that the cowling has to be flexed to get the bolts in. Easily fixed by gentle bending of the top tab near the air filters. Goose

JB weld is good stuff and works on most things, but do not re-route those vent hoses. Proper operation of the CV carbs depends on no heavy air flow by the end of those vents. Goose

OK, this is an old subject covered in great detail in many old threads, but it hasn't been addressed in a while, so I'll briefly hit it here. Key points have already been given above. Hardware store plumbing section- plastic pipe- buy a joint cement that is specifically labeled for ABS. If you already have some sitting around, it MUST BE FRESH- that means still runny and clear. Goop up both sides of the broken pieces with plenty of the glue and press them together with a bit of wiggle to mix the melted plastic together, then set aside to cure. That is the most important part- the pieces must cure completely until all traces of solvent have left the plastic- that takes several hours in the hot summer sun or overnight near a heat source in the winter. Once it is cured, this repair will be at least as strong as the original. And the total cost is about $5. Goose

You don't say what bike or how many miles, but Sylvester is probably right- just replace the clutch spring and half plate. There is a member here that also sells a spring upgrade. Should be as good, but my preference is PCW. If you want to spend a lot more money for the same result, you can buy a purple pressure plate that you can't see in the engine. Seems kinda pointless to me since it doesn't do anything better. Goose

If it is cranking over just fine, then that eliminates any problem with the kill switch or any cutout switch like neutral or sidestand. Sounds to me like the pickup coil (triggers the spark) is either bad or disconnected. The other slight possibility is the common ground that feeds all four coils. This is the same ground that feeds the starter relay (comes from the kill switch), so it is highly unlikely to be your problem. But if the connection past the ignitor to the coils (wire color R/B) is somehow broken, that would cause your symptoms too. Goose

I have one that I'd be happy to sell. Not impressed with it at all. Goose

Do any dash idiot lights come on when you hit the starter button? Ordinarily there are two lights that only test when the starter is hit - can't remember for sure which two, but it is documented in the owner's manual(I think it is the bottom left and bottom right lights). I have tested this before, and the lights you see with the kill switch off are different, so this is an easy first test to see if the starter button is actually working and the kill switch is correct. If no problem there, I'd suspect the starter relay or a bad ground. Goose

No, not everyone on this site likes that English tool - I personally think it is just a small step above junk. I have used many of them a lot, and I hate it. I have seen a brand new one come out of the box not reading the same on all tubes, and according to the factory, they cannot be adjusted or fixed. My personal preference is the gauges. I have a very old set that looks just like the one pictured (had it for over 30 years). The instructions for mine specifically state that they can be calibrated by simply taking off the glass cover and repositioning the needle. No matter what tool you use, make sure you hook them all to a single vacuum source to verify they read the same before you trust the readings. I use a vacuum pump for that test because it is a steady pull, but you can do it off an engine vacuum port also. Goose

This sounds much more like a loose ground wire or bad battery connection than a bad battery. Tighten the main ground on the right rear of the engine behind oil fill cap, then pull the battery cables and scrape both the cable ends and the battery posts with a knife. this is important even if you do not see corrosion. Batteries can build up a hard clear coating on the post that acts as an insulator. When trouble shooting this type of problem, always compare voltage readings taken directly from the battery posts to those taken from any other point in the bike wires to the normal frame or engine ground. That will give you a good check on voltage loss caused by bad connections. But be aware that voltage loss from a bad connection often only shows up during high current drain, such as starting or using the horn, so you might not see it just by taking the measurements with the key off. Goose

I do not believe there was ever a recall on this problem, but there may be a tech bulletin on it (I cannot remember). But I do know that it happened to more than just a few 2007 RSVs (including the one I had). Took my shop THREE attempts to finally get the oil leak stopped. It is definitely a seal problem on the pinion. Goose

Actually, this IS normal (but there are a few qualifiers to that statement). The oil is coming from the vent tubes on the air plenums (the boxes above the carbs), and it is why you also see an oily grunge on the tip of your side stand. And this is also related to why the #1 carb is always covered with oily dirt on a Venture that is ridden a lot. The crank case breather connects between the two plenums, so oil mist from inside the engine is normally sucked back through the carbs and burned, but a fair amount will stick to the inside of the boxes and slowly work its way down the sides and towards the drain at the back of the plenum. Hard fast long runs generates lots of oil mist, and a bit of it eventually works its way out those drain hoses, exactly like is is designed to do. Now, if you over-fill your crank case with oil - defined as ABOVE the sight glass, not just above mid glass, seeing any air bubble above the oil is just fine - this engine will pump a LOT more oil mist our the vent and you will get significant dripping through those vent hoses, resulting in more than just a drop or two after a long run. And once that starts, it is hard to ever get it completely cleaned out. Those vent tubes have check valves in them so the carbs cannot suck dirty air up from the road, and those check valves tend to make it difficult for all the oil mess in the vent lines to fully drain out, resulting in on-going drips even after the over-fill is corrected. Now about that oil mess on the #1 carb - that is a result of a very STUPID design flaw. The air plenum drain tube is located at the inside rear point of each air plenum. That point is the lowest point for both when the bike is upright, but NOT when the bike is on the side stand! When it is leaned over to the left, the drain for the plenum above the left side carbs is HIGHER than the top of the carbs. And since just about all bikes spend more time sitting on the side stand than running upright, most of that oil mist that collects inside the air box eventually works its way down around the top of the left rear carb. Over time, a lot of it oozes out of the rubber fitting round the top of the carb and spreads like a toddlers nose goo down around everything below it, collecting dirt, bugs and other ugly crud! Goose

I have posted about how easy it is to change a number of times - here is one thread on it: http://www.venturerider.org/forum/showthread.php?t=62424&highlight=filter Goose

I have no idea what kind of bike you have, but that is not particularly normal for a 2nd gen unless the pilot jets are gummed up. Goose

This is not correct. The 2nd gen bikes will absolutely NOT pop or bang on decel unless there is something wrong with them. Each owner gets to make their own choice to either put their head in the sand or actually fix their bike. I personally do not think it is ever intelligent to just hide the problem instead of finding and fixing it. The purpose of the AIS is simply to reduce unburned fuel in the exhaust. It has ZERO impact on engine power or performance, but it DOES help you know when something is going out of whack with your combustion process simply because the increasing unburned fuel in the header pipes begins to explode instead of burning smoothly. Even if you do not care about causing unnecessary pollution, one SHOULD care about knowing if their bike is running properly. Goose

It is probably just tire wear. This is almost certain if the bike still has stock brickstone tires and the rear is worn flat in the middle. Goose

The interlock circuits between the neutral and side stand switches is a bit complicated to trace on the schematic, but your problem is definitely in there. I cannot remember the details of how it works, but maybe you can find some old posts from me four or five years ago where I described it in detail. Hopefully you will find an easy fix, like a loose plug or bad ground, but if not, let me know and I'll try to look into it again for you. Goose

The stock rear pads on the Venture have always worn down VERY fast, and most bikes will wear the inside pad much faster. Very common for stock rear pads to be down to metal within 10,000 miles. Solution is first to go to EBC HH pads, then watch them every 10,000 miles or so to catch the uneven wear and reverse the pads. Rear EBC pads should easily go 20 - 30,000 miles with good braking habits. Lots of discussion and details on this in many older threads (years older). Goose

If starved for fuel for any reason, Yes, you should absolutely hear the pump clicking when you turn the key on. Did you try opening the tank? If the vent is clogged or hose kinked, you will have a vacuum build up in the tank that will cause that problem. It is also possible that lots of crud in the tank could clog the pickup screen, but that is much less likely. If you need a new fuel pump, the 42S pump is the cheapest after market alternative, but it is NOT the best choice. Spend a bit more and get the one that has a positive fuel cutoff like the stock pump. see the Parts Alternative post in the tech library for more information. If you do go with the 42S pump, you must manually shut off the fuel every time you stop to be safe from fuel leakage through the carbs. Goose

No they do not. I know you think they are fine, but once you ride that bike with any decent set of tires, you will realize just how bad those stock Brickstones really are. Trust me, they do NOT handle well at all! Goose

Contrary to what some people seem to think, the coils on these bikes RARELY go bad. If you truely have a spark problem, it is most likely just corrosion in the plug cap. More likely problem is dirty pilot jet in the carb for that cylinder. Easy test for that is to pull the vacuum hose or cap off the vacuum port for that cylinder and spray a little starter fluid or carb cleaner in it while at idle - if the engine speed picks up, you have good spark. Goose

There is a Parts Alternatives post in the 2nd Gen Tech Library that has this information. goose

I have no idea what bike you have, but if it is a 2nd gen, the problem is your backup fuse is blown. Depending on the year, some owners manuals use a different name for it, but most call it the backup fuse. It is in the main fuse box behind the left side battery cover. Goose

No, some popping is NOT normal - it tells you that you have a problem with complete fuel combustion. This bike is completely stock trim will NOT NOT NOT pop or bang on decel. Your bike has a problem that is relatively easy to fix. Some people here will advise you to simply HIDE the problem instead of fixing it by disabling the AIS, but I personally think that is NOT an intelligent decision. (Lots of info on that in many older threads). Most likely all you need to do is sync the carbs and replace the rotted rubber caps on the vacuum ports. There are other things that can cause this, but start with the easy stuff and let us know if the problem continues so we can give you the longer answer. Good Luck, Goose

Your problem and fix is relatively simple; although, there are several possible causes. The root cause is nothing more than incomplete burning of the fuel in one or more cylinders. Carb sync alone could be the problem, but more likely it is a vacuum leak or high resistance in one of the plug caps. The vacuum leak comes from old rubber caps on the vacuum ports (they MUST be changed every couple of years), or possible a nicked vacuum hose on the other ports. There are other possibilities, but check the easy and most common stuff first. Goose

I seriously doubt that dirty carbs would cause the problem, but let's hope it is fixed. If not, I'd suggest that your problem sounds more like a simple vacuum leak from the cold temps making the rubber hose hard. I have never seen or heard of a temp related problem with the cruise on this bike, so that seems like the most likely possibility with your symptoms. I have ridden many many thousands of miles on my RSV in temps down as low as single digits, regularly using the cruise to allow me to get some warmth to my throttle hand, and it has always worked fine. Easy and cheap to replace the vacuum hose running between the pump under the right lower cowling to the vacuum actuator under the left lower cowling. And just replacing it will be a whole lot easier than waiting for a cold soak and trying to test it with a vacuum pump when the temps are below freezing! Besides, if it is a vacuum leak at either end of the hose, just taking it off or moving the end could temporarily hide the problem. Good luck, Goose